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are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesfa Chrift came, who is over all, God blessed forevermore. Amen."

In these verses we have St. Paul's ardent wishes for the welfare of his countrymen, the Ifraelites. 6. "Not as though the word of God had taken none effect. For they are not all Ifrael, which are of Ifrael."-Not that the Gospel hath been rejected by the whole nation. For there is a real difference among the natural descendants of Ifrael, and some are of a better disposition than others.

7. "Neither because they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called."-Nor, because they are the natural offspring of Abraham, can'we infer that they inherit his disposition. For, as in the ancient transaction of God with Abraham, God told him that, though he were concerned for Ishamael, in Ifaac should be his peculiar feed, and in his line, his feed, by eminence, the Meffiah should arise.

8. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the feed."-To explain myself clearly; the child which Abraham had by Hagar was not to be considered as a child of the covenant; but he who was born to Abraham, in consequence of the special promise of God, was to be accounted as the covenant feed.

9. "For this is the word of promise, at this time, will I come, and Sara shall have a fon."

For

For the promise was this, at this time will I come and thy wife Sara shall have a fon.

10-14. And not only this; but when Res becca also had conceived by one, even by our fath. er Ifaac, (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.) It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated."

And not only was God pleased to prefer Ifaac to Ishmael, to be the covenant seed of Abraham; but when Rebecca came to have twin fons, God was pleased again to continue the line of the covenant feed in Jacob rather than in Esau; and he signified this to Rebecca, before the children were born, or either of them had any merit or demerit, on account of any thing they had done; that God might appear to act as a sovereign, and not from partial affection, when he said, I have prefered Jacob to Esau, to be the covenant feed of Abraham: and the Edomites shall be in servitude to the Israelites.

15." What shall we say then ? is there unright. cousness with God? God forbid."

What shall we say of this conduct of God? shall we call it unrighteous? Far be it. God had an undoubted right to establish his covenant with Ifaac rather than with Ishmael; and afterwards, with Jacob rather than Efau. Neither of them had a

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natural right to claim covenant and ecclefiaftic priv ileges.

15. 16. "For he faith to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then, it is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy."

As God said to Moses, that he would choose his own objects of mercy and compassion: so it is not with man always, by his own will and exertions, to command the bounties of fortune or grace.

17, 18. "For the scripture faith to Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth, Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy; and whom he will he hardeneth."

As it was said to Pharaoh, for this end have I sustained and supported you in life, though you have deserved death; to make you an instrument of displaying my glorious name and power over all the earth: and thus show to the world, that I will be a sovereign in dispensing or withholding mercy.

19, 20, 21, 22. "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the fame

Jump to make one vessfel unto honor, and another

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unto difhonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?"

You will, perhaps, ask, Why does God find fault? who ever did refift his power? Nay, but consider, that, as the potter hath an undoubted right to make a vessel to honor, of a part of a lump of clay, and of the other part, a vessel to dishonor, if he pleases; so God, if he is willing to delay the destruction of such as have long deserved it, as in the case of Pharaoh; that he may display his character, to advantage, before the universe; hath as undoubted a right to do it.

23. "And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory."

That God, on the other hand, may make known the riches, of his goodness, to those whom he had chosen to be the objects of his mercy.

24, 25, 26. "Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As he faith also in Ofee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God."

To proceed to a full explanation of what I have meant by God's fovereign mercy and compallion, and

his

his right to harden whom he will; I mean that he hath shown mercy and compassion to us, both of the Jewish nation, and of the Gentile world, to whom he hath sent the Gospel, and whom he hath adopted and called into covenant and church-estate: according to former predictions of the prophet Hofea, concerning the call of the Gentile world by the gofpel. God hath made up the present christian church, in part of Jews, and in part of Gentiles; and this is his sovereign mercy to them: Whilst he hath permitted the unbelieving among the Jews and Gentiles, to suffer a temporary exclusion from his church and people.

27, 28, 29. " Esaias also crieth concerning Ifrael, Though the number of the children of Ifrael be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be faved: For he will finish the work, and cut short in rightcousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And, as Efaias said before, Except the Lord of sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and had been like unto Gomor rah."

Elaias, also, looking forward to Christian days, and foreseeing the infidelity of the Jews, cried out, that, of a numerous nation, a few comparatively should embrace the gospel salvation; and that, if God had not been very merciful to Ifrael, in former ages, as well as in the days of the Gospel, the nation of the Jews would have been reduced to destruction, like Sodom and Gomorrah.